Auckland

Hello all

Last we spoke, we were in Waitomo - famous for it's caveworms and marriage proposal.

From there we travelled to wine country. Now, this was my kind of coast. The regions of Napier, Hastings and Havelock North are abundant in the alcoholic grape and we enjoyed tastings throughout. A highlight for us was combining our love of wine with our love of film - Havelock North has an outdoor theatre on a hill with a view of the valley containing the beautiful green lines of aromatic vineyards and big big sky. What a place. We drank pinot gris while watching the film of the evening ("Valentino" - the documentary about the great fashion artist) as the sky slowly turned studded with the silvery stars. Amazing.

From wine country we drove south to Wellington. We spent our time there with Gemma and Cormac, a couple we had met in Samoa who invited us to stay at there home. By the time we arrived in Wellington, they had just returned from Stewart Island (South Island) where they got engaged! So, we popped open some bubbly (recently bought on our wine excursions) and congratulated eachother on nuptualness. It was in Wellington where Alex and I decided to make our first "sacrifice". We were planning to travel to the south island of NZ. However, after talking to Gemma and Cormac who are planning their own world tour in September, we thought how amazing it would be to do what they plan to do: travel the Trans-Siberian rail from Hanoi to St. Petersburg! In order to do so, we needed to reevaluate our funds. South Island would have to wait for a future visit.

Another determining factor was the van. It has required some major repairs. As I write, it is currently in the shop. You see, from Wellington back up to Auckland, the van started to wane and we barely made it back. It had blown a head gasket. We managed to stop in Taupo on the way home where a tandem bungy jump provided some much needed diversion - but, as soon as we got back in the van reality quickly set in again. Because the van was leaking so much water we had to stop every 60K or so to fill the tank back up - we limped back here to Auckland. Thankfully, we have Bernie and Paul. Family is the best. We are now staying with them in Auckland until Feb 18! By then the van will be fixed and we'll sell it. Also, we'll be able to visit a few more places we want to see before we go.

On Feb 18 we fly to Sydney, we plan to spend a few days there then fly up to Whitsunday Islands for a week or so. Then to Brisbane to visit Alex's friend Pete. Then, some time in March, we plan to head to Kuala Lampur to begin our Asian experience!

I'd love to post more pictures but this blog site is soooooo slow and only allows four pictures! So, I will create more albums on Facebook instead. The picture above is of us with Bernie and Paul at a vineyard we visited last weekend. We shared a lovely rose wine and finished lunch with a creme brule infused with rosemary. Was delicious! We have been a little indulgent with the wines and deserts. To combat the obvious repercussions of overindulgence, we have created our own bootcamp routine! Every day, for one hour we interchange running with some kind of exercise for one minute each. It's helping...

Until next time,

LOVE

A&A